Hi! I'm currently working on a paper about ESL and EFL for one of my subjects in graduate school. I thought it would be good to consider different views from people with knowledgable background in this field. Considering your ideas would help me broaden my understanding of the topic I'm writing about. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the following questions:

1. ESL and EFL are often used as interchangable terms for some since the slim boundaries between these two are a bit confusing. For you, what is the difference between ESL and EFL?

2. Who are ESL and EFL learners? *Are Koreans and Japanese ESL or EFL learners ? *Who among the following are ESL or EFL learners? a. Korean English language learners (ELL) in South Korea b.Koreans studying in English language schools in the Philippines c. Koreans taking lessons from an Online English Institute in the Philippines d. Koreans studying in an English academy in UK, Canada, Australia andUSA

3. Who are ESL and EFL teachers?Who among the ff. are ESL and EFL teachers? a. Online English teachers in the Philippines for Koreans and Japanese b. English Language Academy/Institute teachers in the Philippines c. English Language Academy teachers in Korea d. Englsih Language Institute teachers in USA,Canada, Australia,USA e. English teachers (could be either native or non-native English speakers) in a regular school (public/private) in South Korea f. English teachers (could be either native or non-native English speakers) in a regular school (public/private) in Japan

4. In one regular international high school I know, an ESL class is composed of students who are native speakers of English (Americans,Canadians, etc)and students with different mother languages, say from India, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan and China. Note,too, that there are differences not only in the language proficiency among the students but also in there epxosure to English. Is it right to call this as an ESL class? Why or why not?

5.Usually,in technical defintions we find in books,internet and other sources,the difference between ESL and EFL relies on the geographical location of the learners-whether the country considers English as a dominant language or not. Aside from this, should there other factors to consider to differentiate an ESL from EFL learner? (ex. learner's purpose in studying or his proficiency?)

6.Should there be differences in the teaching methodologies and approaches between TESL and TEFL?

I would really appreciate anything you would share to help me address these questions. Thank you so much God bless you!:-)

It is interesting to see this topic being discussed.I think there should be slight difference between ESL and EFL, as least literally.An example will help to clarify the matter.In the US, if a person whose mother tongue is not English treats English as a second language, because there is a wide application of English in that country. There is a practical usage for this language. In other cases, the language is treated as a foreign language. Like in China, after you learn English for many years, you cannot find what use it has because in reality people do not speak or use English extensively, of course foreign trade, diplomacy,international activities excluded.

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